Coopersville & Marne Railway

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This is the Official Facebook Page of the Coopersville & Marne Railway Company.

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Official Page of the Coopersville & Marne Railway Co.

We depart every Wednesday and Saturday, May through October
(Saturdays only April, November and December)
from the station platform in historic downtown Coopersville, Michigan
at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. On Some Theme Trains, a 3pm departure is added.

The train of antique passengers cars, which date from the early part of the last century, goes out into the countryside and through family owned farmlands. You will cross over an open deck girder bridge, four creeks and one road bridge before you arrive at the Village of Marne. The 1950's era diesel locomotive then uncouples from the train, runs along a passing siding next to your passenger car, couples onto the west end of the train and pulls the train back to the City of Coopersville.
When in Marne, if weather permits, passengers on Regular Excursions may detrain to watch the run around and west end coupling. Sorry, we cannot detrain on Theme Trains.
This 14 mile excursion, back to a simpler time of transportation, lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes. During the trip, the Conductor describes points of interest while train music from the 1800's plays throughout the cars. Wildlife such as deer, wild turkeys, hawks and eagles may be seen along the way, as well as farm animals. Our track also runs, for a short distance, along the I-96 freeway where Mustangs, Jaguars and Cougars may also be seen.

~~~~~~~ History of the Coopersville & Mrane Railway Co. ~~~~~~~

The Coopersville & Marne Railway Company was incorporated on July 13, 1989. The initial purpose of those involved was to purchase the old Grand Trunk right-of-way between the towns of Coopersville and Marne, just to the northwest of Grand Rapids. The idea was to preserve the track for future use and to provide vintage passenger service.

The line has a long history. It was chartered as the Oakland and Ottawa Railroad Company on April 3, 1848. The purpose was to build a railroad from "Oakland via Fentonville to Lake Michigan in Ottawa County". The railroad was merged with the Detroit and Pontiac Railroad Company in 1855, and the name was changed to the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad. The track through Marne and Coopersville was first laid down in the summer of 1858. The first train into Grand Rapids arrived there in June of 1858, with the first train into Grand Haven arriving there in September of that year.

There were some additional corporate changes, and in May of 1928 the railroad became part of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company. In 1987 the Central Michigan Railway Company purchased most of the line, and it is this company that sold the line to the Cooperesville and Marne. Later on the C&M Ry. also purchased the rest of the line from Marne into Grand Rapids.

The Coopersville and Marne Railway Company began operations on July 4, 1990, using a leased locomotive, a leased passenger car, and a borrowed caboose. The traffic that summer was enough to warrant obtaining the use of a second coach. In 1991 we leased a third coach, and in 1992 we leased one additional coach. We now have four coaches, with room for 300 passengers.

In 1993, in conjunction with the Coopersville Downtown Development Authority, we obtained a new train boarding area and a small depot, in downtown Coopersville.

Three of our coaches originally were commuter cars, two from the East Coast (DL&W), and one from the Canadian National Railroad. The coaches are heated in the cold weather, and cooled by opening the windows when it is warm. Two of our coaches are equipped with air conditioning and all coaches are restroom equipped for passenger convenience.

Our train usually is pulled by a 125 ton General motors SW9 switcher locomotive, number 7014. This locomotive had been owned by the Grand Trunk Western Railway and served in Battle Creek, Michigan.

As much as possible, we stress vintage operation of the equipment, including proper dress for members of the train crew.

Our operation is carried out for the most part by volunteers. These people must complete an appropriate training program before they may participate as a member of the train crew. Other volunteers help us with track work, equipment maintenance, ticket sales, painting, and the like.

During the summer months, we run regular trains on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Prior to Easter, we run our Bunny Trains on Saturdays. Other theme trains are the Troop Trains for Memorial Day, the Great Train Robbery, The Famous Pumpkin Train, and The Santa Train. And, of course, throughout the year we run our charters for a variety of groups for a variety of reasons.

The Coopersville & Marne Railway does run some freight service during the year on a portion of our line between Marne and Grand Rapids.

As you look around our property in downtown Coopersville, you will see some other equipment. We do have a smaller back-up locomotive, a wrecking crane, some cabooses, and various track equipment to help us keep our track in shape. We even have a switch tower, which was moved to Coopersville from Greenville, Michigan, and restored. You may even spot a steam locomotive (not running)!

We hope that if you're in the area, you'll stop by and ride with us. If you've already ridden with us, we hope you enjoyed the trip!

If you have any questions you can call the Train Station directly at 616-997-7000 or email questions, comments or suggestions to [email protected].

Thanks and see you soon!